Aid organisations named in a letter from a newly formed foundation bidding to deliver food aid in Gaza have sought to distance themselves from the controversial plan which is expected to launch this week.
The 22 May letter, obtained by Middle East Eye, was sent by Gaza Humanitarian Foundation executive director Jake Wood to Cogat, the Israeli military unit overseeing aid logistics in Gaza.
The letter, in which Wood thanks Cogat for its “constructive engagement”, starts by clarifying that Israel and GHF have agreed that non-food humanitarian aid, such as medical supplies, hygiene items and shelter materials, would be permitted to enter the enclave under the existing UN-led system.
Wood then indicates in the letter that food aid will continue to be distributed in parallel to GHF by “qualified humanitarian agencies” until his organisation scales up its capacity to “no fewer than 8 secure distribution sites”.
He notes a recent call he said he convened with the CEOs of Save the Children, International Medical Corps, Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, Care and Project Hope.
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“It was broadly agreed that these organisations should retain direct control and oversight of aid distribution while following humanitarian principles and control,” he said of the call.
“GHF acknowledges that we do not possess the technical capacity or field infrastructure to manage such distributions independently, and we fully support the leadership of these established actors in this domain.”
The letter angered some aid workers who said engaging with GHF alone was problematic and that it had left them confused about the organisations’ positions on a plan that has been roundly rejected by the UN and the broader NGO community.
Other aid sources told MEE that the letter suggested that GHF is struggling to sell their plan as a result of the pressure and advocacy they have wielded, and is now rowing back from what it had originally pitched.
No agreements made
Four of the organisations on the call – Mercy Corps, Care, Project Hope and Save the Children – have confirmed that they spoke to GHF, but had not entered into any agreements with the group.
“While we joined an information meeting with GHF earlier this week – as we do with any actor involved in the humanitarian space – this should not be interpreted as agreement, endorsement or operational collaboration,” Courtney Ridgway, senior director of public relations for Project Hope, said.
“We engaged solely to better understand their stated role and approach.”
Ridgeway said Project Hope is not involved in food distribution and has not coordinated with GHF on any aid delivery plans.
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“We welcome the continuation of medicine and non-food item delivery under the current UN-led mechanism and strongly advocate for food assistance to flow through similarly principled and coordinated channels,” she said.
“We continue to call for unhindered humanitarian access and protection for civilians, and we urge that all humanitarian efforts remain free from political or military influence.”
Milena Murr, Mercy Corp’s regional senior manager of communications and media, said her organisation had been speaking with GHF about how the current UN system in Gaza could operate in parallel with GHF’s new aid delivery mechanism.
“Mercy Corps has not agreed to support or collaborate with the GHF,” Murr said, adding that the letter to Cogat had been “developed and shared by GHF on 22 May without Mercy Corps awareness or consultation”.
“The continuation of the existing aid delivery mechanism is essential to meet the urgent and worsening humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip,” she said.
“We continue to advocate for the full resumption of aid into Gaza – at scale, under the existing UN-led mechanism.”
Carey Ellis, senior media manager for Care International, said that her organisation is “exploring every avenue to get food into Palestine but has not agreed to work with the GHF”.
“We have publicly and privately shared our concerns regarding the GHF proposal. Aid is not a bargaining chip, and Israel must let the UN system and all those working within it safely deliver supplies to a starving population.”
Save The Children said it would not engage with any system of aid delivery in Gaza that fails to uphold humanitarian principles.
“We have not agreed to support or collaborate with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, nor we will support to limit the number of humanitarian actors in the Gaza response,” said Gabriella Waaijman, the organisation’s chief operating officer.
“We continue to stand with our principles, peers, and the children of Gaza, and will not engage with a system for aid delivery that does not do the same.”
International Medical Corps declined to comment. Catholic Relief Services had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
‘Successful advocacy’
A GHF spokesman said the purpose of the call had been strictly to convey GHF’s operational plans to NGOs and they had not been asked to participate in aid distribution.
“However, one outcome of the call was an understanding that GHF should not play a role in non-food aid delivery. GHF’s role is solely to provide food delivery,” he said.
The spokesman said it had been through Wood’s and GHF’s “persistent advocacy” that Israel has “now committed that it will allow non-food aid into Gaza under the existing UN mechanism and through these NGOs”.
“This new commitment from Israel builds on GHF’s successful advocacy with Israel to allow food into Gaza through the UN-led mechanism until GHF is fully operational and capable of feeding all Gazans throughout the territory,” he said.
He said that GHF will initially open four “secure distribution sites”, including three in the south and one in central Gaza, by the end of May.
“Within the next month, additional sites will be opened, including in northern Gaza,” he said.
The latest apparent leak of a GHF document, which follows another earlier this month, comes as the organisation is under further scrutiny following investigations in the Washington Post and the New York Times which raise further questions about the ties between the organisation and Israeli officials.
